A typical hiring process is long. In the United States, it takes about 23 days to successfully choose a candidate who agrees to the offer and signs the contract. Although it’s as time-consuming as in other parts of the world, recruitment duration is worse than in 2014, according to Glassdoor.
The coronavirus pandemic is likely to make it even more difficult. Many offices remain closed even until the following year. If they’re open, the state can compel them to operate in skeletal force. Some potential candidates beg off from a face-to-face interview because of health risks.
How can your HR department do its job in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis? You can consider these tips:
1. Make It Online
Use the tools available to reach out to applicants. The initial interview might be over the phone. The succeeding ones can be through virtual conferences or meeting apps like Zoom, Google Meetings, and Skype.
These platforms are free, so they help you manage hiring costs. They can also accommodate several people in one virtual room. This setup is ideal for panel interviews or even exclusive discussions with the hiring team.
Perhaps the challenge lies in carefully scheduling these interviews. You still want to ensure you give each applicant enough time without straining the HR department of candidates to process. Fortunately, you can already invest in a job interview scheduling software. It can:
- Automatically remind candidates of their upcoming interviews
- Allow the staff to see interview schedules in real-time
- Streamline rescheduling
- Create multi-sessions
2. Maximize LinkedIn
One of the underrated tools for hiring is LinkedIn. Unlike other websites, it is rich in the following:
- Active candidates or those seeking job opportunities
- Passive talent, who are not looking for jobs but might be interested in offers
- Other headhunters or recruiters
- Organizations, associations, or groups
By combining active and passive talents, you can quickly increase your pool. Although many passive talents might pass up on the chance, they can recommend you to friends and colleagues looking for new jobs. Otherwise, if your offer is attractive, you can encourage great employees to give it a try.
Meanwhile, if your number of possible applicants is still low, which can happen if the job is highly specialized, you can work with other headhunters or recruiters. It’s not uncommon among those on LinkedIn to reach out to other members of the field if it helps worthy applicants find a role.
You can also tap into organizations, associations, and groups, which are a wealth of talent. Sometimes all it takes is one ad to get the desired number of candidates to fill the job. The site also provides various tools to make recruitment easier.
3. Advertise You’re Hiring
With all the news about COVID-19 and job losses, it’s easy for many people to assume that businesses are closing or not hiring. You might then need to ramp up your recruitment’s advertising process and spending.
Besides LinkedIn, you can also place an ad in:
- Job boards
- Social media, especially Facebook
- Websites of industry groups or associations
- YouTube and other video channels
- Search engines, including paid ads
Recruitment during this pandemic won’t be easy, but it also doesn’t have to be extremely difficult. These tips will help you adapt to the needs of the times more quickly.
